Land of Whirlpools, eastern region.
"Stupid Daimyo!" Mei Terumi huffed as she walked toward the meeting point where Kumo's representative was waiting for her. "Why do I have to come in person?"
Even though Kiri now had things much more under control, Mei was drowning in work trying to balance everything!
Who to allocate funds to, where to invest money, where to get more money…
If the Daimyo hadn't threatened to cut the village's budget at such a delicate time, she wouldn't have bothered coming personally.
"Maybe it's meant as a form of deterrence?" Chōjūrō suggested. The current wielder of Hiramekarei and the Mizukage's bodyguard walked beside her. "Not many people have your strength and status, so…"
He didn't dare mention the age factor—he had learned from past mistakes.
"Maybe," Mei didn't refute him. Though she doubted that was truly the case, knowing Chōjūrō's insecurity, she chose a more diplomatic approach so it would seem like she was considering his opinion.
Originally, Kiri's situation should have been much easier to handle, but after the unexpected ambush and death of Ao—Mei's true right-hand man—administrative matters had become far more complicated.
That forced her to take Chōjūrō under her wing much earlier than expected, due to the lack of trustworthy personnel for certain matters. On top of that, he was effectively the current leader of the new Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
A group that didn't even have half its members.
"We need to recover Kiri's swords—all of them," Mei thought as she carefully scanned the surroundings. "Restoring the group would be a real deterrent to the other villages, not this nonsense…"
Both sides knew this so-called negotiation was doomed to fail. The Land of Lightning had come hungry, and the Land of Water wouldn't give them even a single crumb.
No—what she needed was to convince the Daimyo to increase funding for the village once she returned, by any means necessary.
At the very least, they had to widen the current gap with Suna!
If the reports about them finding a way to make it rain were true, and water was no longer such a severe issue, then the problems that would follow…
"I heard the envoy from Kumo is the famous Dodomeki," Chōjūrō said nervously.
That was his usual demeanor—unless he got serious in battle. Maybe that's why many people didn't take him seriously despite his position, even those who had seen him fight.
Or maybe it was his apparent age?
"Yes, the spies confirmed it—it'll be him," Terumi replied.
Chad, the Dodomeki of Kumo.
She wasn't unfamiliar with the name. In fact, as a newly appointed Mizukage, she had paid close attention to information about him due to his outstanding reputation in Kumo.
"It's a shame he wasn't born in Kiri."
Whether it was his medical achievements, individual strength, business acumen, or teaching ability—Kiri desperately needed something like that right now, even if it was just a fraction of any of those qualities.
Even Suna had a more developed medical system than they did!
Maybe it was because they also specialized in poisons and had to improve just to avoid killing themselves—but still, it was a depressing thought.
Of course, she would never admit that out loud!
"Mizukage-sama, do you think we could…?" Chōjūrō, now aware of Kiri's urgent needs after staying by her side, tried to suggest the most direct approach. "…'invite' him to the village?"
The Mizukage held back a disappointed sigh.
"Unlikely," Terumi shook her head, though the thought had briefly crossed her mind as well—just as quickly as she had dismissed it. "To begin with, his sister is the Raikage's secretary. He himself holds important positions, he doesn't lack money, all his assets and businesses are there, he has students to train, and he doesn't lack ninjutsu…"
What could they possibly offer someone with such a perfect life to make him defect to a rival village?
Chōjūrō wanted to suggest a method, but decided it wasn't appropriate and stayed silent. That hesitation didn't go unnoticed by Mei, only increasing her disappointment in her young bodyguard.
At the very least, he should have the courage and confidence to speak his mind!
"He's still too immature—we'll have to work on that," Mei thought. "Maybe I should assign him some chunin so he can start practicing leadership. At this rate, even if we recover the Seven Swords of the Mist, their wielders will look down on him and won't necessarily follow his orders during missions."
She knew exactly what Chōjūrō had meant:
Couldn't she seduce him?
Mei was confident in her beauty and her kunoichi training, despite not receiving a single marriage proposal from any Kiri clan since becoming Mizukage—which she found quite strange. They should be tearing each other apart for such a privilege.
Then she realized—they were probably waiting for Kiri to stabilize completely before making such an important move.
That had to be it. There was no other explanation!
Even so, she didn't believe a man that capable would abandon everything just to follow a woman. And if he did… then perhaps the Dodomeki of Kumo wasn't as valuable as people thought.
"Tell everyone to stop five kilometers from the meeting point," Mei ordered as they approached their destination. "Have them remain on standby. If we don't give the signal, they stay hidden."
As Mizukage, it was impossible for her to leave the village with only a single bodyguard. Even if it was just for show before Kumo's envoy, she needed to bring one or two elite squads with her.
After dispersing the group following her, Mei finally saw Chad in person, waiting at the meeting point with a kunoichi by his side.
"…Maybe I should still try to bring him back," Mei thought, tempted as she licked her lips slightly upon seeing his physique. "He's exactly my type!"